Adapter for vacuum-tube sockets



Oct. 14,1930.` l G, BUTZKE 1,778,062

ADAPTER FOR VACUUM TUBE SOCKETS Filed June 5, 192s Inv ar-(Cori Hi s fllomweg.

GUS-lav Buz Ke,

Patented Oct. .'14, 1930v UNI-TED STATE-s PATENT ori-ica GUSTAV BUTZKE,F SCHEI CTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGISOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC I COMPA Y,ACORPOBATION 0F NEW YORK ADAPTER FOR VACUUM-TUBE SOCKETS Application mea:rune 5, 192s. serial No. 643,593.

The present invention relates to the wireless communication art, andmore especially to the means for mechanically supporting andelectrically connecting in circuit the vacuum 5 tubes commonly known asradiotrons.

The sockets or receptacles for the standard radiotrons are made with abase receiving recess of about one and tbree-eighthsv inches in diameterand with the filament contacts arranged-at twoadjacent corners of arectangle and the grid and plate contacts at the other two corners.- Theminiature radiotrons, which have come into recent extensive use, have abase about one inch in diameter and .15`with the plate and grid contactstransposed or arranged diagonally thereon and a cord ingly is incapableof being directly mounted in standard radiotron sockets orreceptacles...

The object of the present invention is to 2o provided a hardy, compactand easily applied adapter whereby a miniature vacuum tube may bereadily and properly connected to a standard radiotron socket orreceptacle.

One embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing inwhich Fig. 1 is a top plan view of my adapter; Fig. 2 is a verticalsectional View of the outer shell on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with thel baseplate and f contacts shown'in` osition in .side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a dissemb ed perspective view'with the shell in part section,and Fig.` 4 is a dissembled perspective view of thecontacts and theinterior base plate.

The supporting member comprises a shell A 1 made of insulating compoundin the form of a cup with a peripheral flange 2 knurledat its edge 3 toprovide a good hand hold. The exterior size and shapel thereofvcorrespond with those of the base of the standard vacuum 19 tube. Ithas a radial positioning and holdling spur 4 secured in its cylindricalouter Wall :for engagement with the bayonet slot of the socket and fourcountersunk apertures 5 symmetrically disposed in the bottom part 6 forthe passage therethroughpf the external con tact lingers 7.

The base plate 8, forming the inner part of the support, is made'ofinsulating` compound in the form of a disk adapted to lit the recess 5oof the shell 1. Y 'It has a peripheral notch 9 f advance. p

l22 and all contacts have intermediate shank adapted to receive afeather lug 10 formed on the inner wall of the shell near the -bottomthereof and serving angularly to position the base plate therein. Thebase plate 8 and the .bottom 6 of the'shell have axial holes 11 and 12for the passage of an assembly screw 1? which is adapted to engage a nut14 carried by the base plate.

The contact fingers 7 have shouldered projections 15, while their innerends are threaded for engagement with -nuts 16 set in the upper side ofthe plate about the holes 17 formed therein for the passage of thevfinger contacts. Rectangular recesses 18 are i formed in the lowersideofthe base plate 8 about the holes 17 for the reception of similarlyshaped ends 19 of the opposite or internal contact s rings which aresecured therein by the shoulders 15 of the contact fingers 7 bearingthereagainst when screwed home.

The four opposite spring contacts 20, 21,

@usv

22 and 23 are shaped differently from one ani other due to thetransposed or dissimilar arrangement of the contacts on the standard andthe miniature vacuum tubes. Contact 20 Vhas its free tip disposedaxially above its contact finger 7 andiis accordingly bent into the formof a letter U. Contact 21 has its tip disposed diametrically oppositeits contact finger 7 and is made in the form of a long lever. Contact 22has its tip disposed overl the contact finger 7 ninety degrees inContact.23 is similar to contact portions 24 ada ted to enter peripheralnotches 25 in the ase plate and to be braced by the side walls thereofwhile the outer portions ofthe spring contacts overlie freely theA outerside/of the,.basep1ate. The tip portions 26 of the spring contacts aremade oblong to provide somewhat extended areas upon which the contactfingers 27 (indicated in dotted circles in Fig. 1 ofthe miniature vacuumtube may slide during the angular movement thereof as it is connected toand disconnected fromnthe adapter. AThis con-A nection is the usualbayonet joint consisting of a radial spur on the tube slmllar to ur 4and an L-shaped slot 28 formed in the inner wall of the shell 1, asshown in Fig. 3.

When the adapter is inserted in a standard vacuum tube socket, the spur4and its cooperatin bayonet slot definitely position the contact ngers 7so thatv the left-hand pair, as shown in Fig. 3, may enga e the filament,terminals while the upper'rig t-hand linger vmy hand this 4th dag'1posed over the front side thereofwith their order of arrangementdiffering from that of the socket enga 'ng contacts.,

In witness w ereof, I have hereunto set of June, 1923. USTAV BUTZKE.'A

embodiment of the invention known tolme, Y

I do not desire to be restricted therto.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the UnitedStates, is,-

' 1. A tube socket adapter lcomprising a cylindrical shell of insulationhaving external means for attaching and positioning attaching andpositioning a tube therein, an

within a tube socket and internal means for attaching and positioningatube of reduced diameter thereln, a" set of external contacts'l carriedby said -shelland adapted to engage socket contacts, and a set ofinternal contacts directly connected to said external contacts withtheir free ends'arranged 'in transl posed relation to the external-contacts and adapted to engage tube contacts.

2. A tube socket adapter comprisingl a shell of insulation provided withmeans for positioning and attaching within a tube socket and forpositioning and attaching a tube of reduced diameter therein, aninsulatin base mounted in fixed position Within said s ell, a set ofexternal contacts mounted on one side of-said base and adapted to engagesocket contacts and a set of internal contacts mounte onsaid externalcontacts and projecting from the opposite side' of said base intransposed relation to the first set of contacts ang agapted to engagetube contacts. e cylindrical shell vof insulation having external meanstube socket adapter comprising a for attaching and ositioning Within atube socket and interna 'meansfor' I insulating base fixedly positionedwithin said shell, a set of-external contacts mounted on and pro'ecting-from the rear side of said base, an aset of internal contacts connectedto said external contacts and their free ends extending over the frontside thereof with the-order of arrangement'difering from that oftheexternal contacts.

4. A tube socket adapter conprising an inlsulating disk base havmg a setof peripheral notches, vaqset-of socket vengaging contacts mountedon-and projecting vfrom, the rear -respectively connected to said socketen agmg contacts at tle rearside of said f and their free ends'e'xtenb'ding through the respectite peripheral notches therein andldisase side of said base, a set of leaf spring contacts los.

